Namaste
@Mandi
Most vaiShNav sampradAya believes in Brahman is nArAyaNa and viShNu is nArAyaNa. While advaitins take viShNu and nArAyaNa as all-pervading consciousness, which is formless, vaiShNava sampradAya-s believe brahman, to be a person. So viShNu is caturbhuja viShNu and is the supreme brahman. Just like one country cannot have 2 PM (Prime Minister) or Presidents, similarly if viShNu is supreme, then all others have to be inferior to them. In support of their claim, they have quoted various SAstra pramANa-s to establish viShNu sarvottama and following theory, sva mata vistAra, para mata bhanga meaning spreading opinion of siddhAtna that we believe and refuting all other siddhAnta.
I would not like to quote any proofs, as now I am tired of Siva-viShNu fight, which at times gets ugly. Just letting you know the differences.
Saiva-s are mostly following Agamic like vIra Saiva-s / lingAyat. SrIkAntAcArya, a great Saiva AcArya has written commentary on brahma-sUtra-s establishing Saiva mata.
SrI abhinavgupta, a unique AcArya of Kashmir Shaivism has written commentary on Bhagavad gItA and has written tanttaloka for advanced disciples.
bhAskarAya makin (not BhaskarAcharya of bheda-abheda), was a shakta-advaitin, was blessed by the then Sringeri Jagadguru (of Advaita vedAnta) has written commentaries on many upanishads and stotra-s and on lalitA sahasranAma
There are many siddhAnta-s adhering to vedAnta, each claiming their siddhAnta (philosophy) as the supreme.
1. vaiShNavism
vaishNava-s believe brahman is a person, caturbhuja viShNu is nArAyaNa, the supreme reality. viShNu avatAra-s are also considered as manifestations of Brahman. KrShNa as supreme brahman is adapted from bhAgavat mahApurANa. Some verses from bhagavad gItA are also quoted in support of this claim.
mAyA and this world is real. Brahman cannot be formless.
Word nirguNa is taken as 'that which does not have dur-guNa' i.e. that which is very pure and subtle. Literal meaning of nirguNa is - 'That which does not have any guNa-s' or 'that which is beyond guNa-s'. nirguNa is free from impurity and gross body.
5 Different philosophies regarding final position of jIva w.r.t to Brahman
jIva, jagat and ISvara are eternal. jIva and jagat are dependent upon ISvara for their existence, but ISvara is not dependent upon them.
Each philosophies are different then others, but two are very distinct-
viSisTAdvaita of SrI rAmAnuja - jIva is qualitatively same, qualitatively different. It is like drop in ocean. A drop cannot be an ocean, though it has all qualities of ocean.
dvaita of SrI mAdhvA - jIva is different than ISvara. They cannot be same.
Note: rAdhA is not found in bhAgavat purANa, viShNu purANa and in veda-s. She is not KruShNa's lover in mahAbharata. rAdhA (different than rAdhArAnI, Krishna's lover) is karNa's mother. rAdhA is only found in brahma-vaivarta purANa and in devi bhAgavat.
Apart from vedAnta, vaiShNava-s practice and accept philosophy of 2 main Agama-s
1. pancharAtra Agama - popularized by rAmAjuna and mAdhva
2. vaikhAnAsa Agama
2. Saivism
Saiva-s believe Siva as ultimate truth. Siva has a form, but the real nature of Siva is formless.
Hence they can agree that viShNu is supreme, if viShNu is a tatvam and not a person.
Definition of nirguNa is same as that of vaiShNava-s. This world is a play of Siva and Sakti
Real nature of jIva (incarnated soul) is Siva.
Unlike vaiShNava-s whose final destination is vaikunTha, Saiva-s do not ascend in kailAsha. Nothing exists which is not Siva. Siva is consciousness, all-pervading paramAtmA.
Some Saiva schools do not believe that jIva is Siva but believe in viSiSTAdvaita with Siva as Brahman.
4. Sakta
They believe that tripurAsundarI, is the supreme brahman and all avatAra-s including rAma nad kruShNa are under her sway.
Their path is similar to Saiva-s. Saiva-s take help of Sakti to reach Siva, but for Sakta-s the real nature of tripurAsundarI is formless.
Definition of nirguNa is same as that of vaiShNava-s. This world is a play of Siva and Sakti
Saivism in itself is not non-vedic
5. Other siddhAntas like gaNapatya-s, saura-s) Worshippers of sUrya deva)
Similar concepts as that of Saiva-s.
sUrya is praised and eulogized as Brahman in Aditya hridayam. sUrya is also worshipped as sUrya-nArAyaNa (not a person but as supreme consciousness)
6. smArta-s
Believe that brahman can exists in different forms. Worship 5 forms - gaNesha, suyra, Siva, Sakti, viShNu and sUrya as forms of brahman. Some people of South India also add skanda as 6th deity.
The central deity is the main God, ISTa devatA, chosen deity. Other 4 deities are placed in 4 corners. In one family one brother can be a sakta-smArta, other Saiva-smArta, another vaiShNava-smArta and so on.
Philosophically, they believe brahman to be formless. Later on after karma kANDa is finished, i.e. mind and heart are sufficiently pure, then they adopt advaita, the path of renunciation.
This world is a creation of mAyA and ultimately it is illusion, not eternal and hence mithyA. Worlds existing in it are relative reality and not absolute reality. Only Brahman, which is unchanging undivided, omnipresent, beyond guNa-s, infinite, beyond space and time is the ultimate truth. There can be no creation or activity beyond time. Hence Brahman is always in unmanifested form without any shapes and forms.
jIva is Brahman, there is no duality
Below is the famous advaita verse found in brahma-GYAnAvalI mAlA
Brahman is the truth, this world is an illusion, Jiva is not different from Brahman
The belief - 'World is illusion' - is unique to advaita.
Since beyond time there can be no creation and hence no one to experience, hence it is Brahman which is the ultimate reality. This is experienced not as separately but by being Brahman itself, as knower of Brahman is Brahman itself.
There are three levels of reality. first two are combined under relative reality.
1. Relative reality
1.a. vyavahArika satya - Practical or empirical reality. This reality is true only in waking state
1.b. prAtivbhAsika sattya - Dream reality. Only real to the dreamer until s/he is dreaming
2. pArmArthika satya - Absolute reality. does not depend upon space and time.
smArta was propagated (not invented) by SrI Adi SankarAcArya
P.S. Please dont Start 'My siddhAnta is the only truth'
Hari OM